3.5 Stars in my Sky!

I'm going to start with a warning The Warrior Queen is not a standalone. I have a bad habit of starting a book series in the wrong order and where sometimes it doesn't matter, here you really do need to start at the beginning - but that's not a bad thing because as a whole I enjoyed the series.

The Warrior Queen doesn't have as much action as previous books but it does pack quite the emotional punch.

I'd like to have the magical magnetism Kalinda seems to possess although I'm not sure I could cope with the romantic drama in real life - Deven and Ashwin I'm looking at you! I did find Ashwin endearing (at times), I'm not sure what this says about me?!

I'm still conflicted about Kali. Sometimes I liked her strong sense of right, whilst at others I found it a little much. I understand about giving power to those who don't covet it but I was desperate to see her face up to things and be like HELLO here I am!

I enjoyed all the different stories and the character development is good. I'm now off to contemplate the void and wonder if certain characters are going to get their own story...

I received a review copy

Spoiler alert- do not read my review or The Warrior Queen if you have not read The Rogue Queen. You have been warned.

After the events of the last book, the kingdom is slowly being rebuilt and the opinions of Bhutas a delicate situation. Kalinda has a small joy in the fact that Deven visits her from the Void during the darkness of night. But each night his visits become less and he is diminishing, in both body and mind. Kalida realizes that she will do whatever she can to save Deven, even if it means going into the Void herself.

The thing I realized about Emily's books while reading this story was how immersive they are. I lost track of time because I became part of the story, completely enmeshed in the world and the character's struggles. Emily is able to create such a vivid description without being super verbose or over the top and it is exactly what I want. This was actually a pretty spooky story too, you know with the Void and its inhabitants and all, and the description of the world gave goosebumps. I do think the title of this book, The Warrior Queen was the best choice for this story too- it was non-stop action, adventure, battles- a whirlwind conclusion, with Kalinda being the warrior she always should have.

Hands down best part of the story is Kalinda's gift from Tinley and her grandmother. I was probably more excited about that than Kalinda, but she had a lot going on already so I forgive her. Where can I get myself one??

My favorite line in the book was:
"Brac blinks as he digests that feast of catastrophes. I pat his shoulder and dash out."
I just love how Emily strings her words together, this little passage was a perfect description of everything that this book was. Kalinda just powers on through, where another character may have broken or you know, given more of an explanation, she is ready to jump into the next disaster waiting for her, almost unfazed by the chaos her life is now.

This is the end, guys. After four books of action, love, danger, horror, sisterhood and battle, The Hundredth Queen has completed. At Emily's book launch party she mentioned the potential for a spin off and I would absolutely love that. Kalinda has had her story and battles and I am completely ok with her having a rest, but the side characters I have come to know and root for, I would love to know more (hint hint- Tinley or Brac!). Whatever comes next from Emily I know I will read because I love the worlds she brings to life. Oh and women warriors and fire dragons are also appreciated!

Visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ for more book things.

I received this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I’ve enjoyed this series, and it was nice to go back to Kali’s world once more. Especially after the ending of the last book!

I have to say I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the rest of the series, but I think it just didn’t feel like it meshed as much. It simultaneously felt like there was too much going on and not enough. There’s not a lot of action (til there suddenly is and it’s all over in a flash) and the main storylines don’t necessarily tie together as much as I’d like.

I liked Kali’s story the most, though the bits with Cala weren’t my favourites. It felt a bit heavy handed to me. And convenient. I wasn’t sure it really added that much to the story. I did like her travels though. Similarly, Deven’s (though a shorter story) is tied to Kali’s and he’s hit by the same bit. I did like seeing some of his point of view, especially as his circumstances were so different.

Ashwin really let me down here, he felt wishy washy throughout. I liked Gemi though!

Overall still a good story and it is a fabulous world so it’s nice to get more of that, and it is well written. It just felt a little like filler instead of what should possibly have been the end of book three.

I think this series has gotten steadily better in each book, and this is definitely my favorite of the four! The author is good about naturally referencing what happened in the previous books at the beginning of the story, I didn't feel like I was missing details because I hadn't done a back-to-back reread of the other books. I thought it was an excellent ending to the series, I enjoyed each of the three POVs and never found myself wishing I was reading a different narrator. It was especially interesting to see how the author tied in several of the old myths and legends that have been referenced throughout the series, elevating them from ancillary to integral. I thought this was a very satisfying conclusion that is exciting and full without resorting to ripping readers' hearts out like many other fantasies are currently doing.

This book series is AMAZING! You need to stop what you are doing and read it.

From the first book, I fell in love with Kalinda. She is courageous and has so much spirit. She is the type of lead character who will fight until her last breath for the people she loves. I was lucky enough to not start this series until a few days before the last book came out. I would have HATED to wait to see what happens. It only took me a few days to read the whole series because I couldn't put the books down!

The series follows Kalinda as she fights for the throne and her heart. Meanwhile, a war is brewing and Kalinda must face the hardest trials of her life. If you like fantasy, romance, and love triangles then this series if for you.

I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for a fair and honest review.

Here it is! The last volume in the Hundredth Queen Series! I've been waiting to read this book since the last book left me in such a hanging over the cliff place. This is a series I've been reading since the very beginning and it is always both exciting and sad to reach the end.

I have to say that this book was slow for me. I had a hard time staying invested in it, which seems awful to say. There were moments that I absolutely loved and the ending with everything wrapping up was good. Satisfying. But for me this book lacked the intensity and danger the other books had and it felt much less compelling. I don't know, I just didn't enjoy it as much.

But. It wasn't bad. There were a lot of things coming together which led to a great ending for this series. Overall this is a series that I've enjoyed and would recommend. Plus, these books are all on kindle unlimited with the audible narration which is AWESOME!! The first book, The Hundredth Queen (which was my favorite one), is just $1.99 (if you don't have KU) which is an awesome price and makes this the perfect time to see if this series is something you would enjoy.

Content: peril, mild violence, kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher at my request. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quick Summary:

This is the fourth and final installment in the Hundredth Queen series. The first book starts off with the orphan Kalinda being chosen from the temple she was raised in against her wishes to become the Rajahs hundredth wife. To keep her place as his hundredth wife or be given a worse fate as his courtesan Kalinda must fight the Rajahs other wives and courtesans. These trials go against everything Kalinda believes the sisterhood stands for. With little choices given to her Kalinda becomes determined to forge her own path. A path that might just shake the kingdom to it's core.

My Thoughts:

I really appreciated seeing Kalinda learn how to do things with one hand and I love the idea of her having to save her male love interest instead of the other way around. However she never would have been able to do it without another male character helping her which was a little disapointing. I did really enjoy the different female friendships. Despite being forced to always compete with one another Kalinda has shown them the importance of sisterhood. Besides Kalinda point of view we also get to see some of Devens and Prince Ashwins, and I thought both perspectives added to the story in their own way.

I liked how Prince Ashwin and Princess Gemi relationship developped. It was funny to see how clueless Prince Ashwin could be when it comes to women. I did like how he went to Devens brother Brac for advice, but I wish he would have listened to his advice more often. As for Devens perspective, I loved getting to explore a whole new setting. I probably enjoyed the romance more in this book because we get to see very little of Deven. I just found him a bit too bossy and overprotective in the other books to ever get fully behind the romance which ends up being a significant part of the story.

This series has so many awesome side characters. I loved our former courtsean and temple sister Natesa as well as the imperial guard Yatin. We dont get to see much of them in this book, but the romance between the two was really cute as usual. Kalindas friendship with Natesa is one of my favorite elements of the story. I liked getting to spend more time with Tinley and her mahati falcon. I would have loved seeing Kalinda ride her own mahati falcon. The mention of Pons and Indahs baby being a reincarnation of someone they knew was absoluetly heart warming.

I liked how the magic and the gods draws on Sumerian mythology as inspiration. The world just expands in fantastic ways with each new book. In this one we get to see some of the underworld which was really interesting. I had a couple tiny issues like Kalinda not trying to bargain more. I also never understood why the rajah sent Prince Ashwin away. He seems like the type to want complete control and sending him away doesnt leave him much control over his heirs training. The writing sometimes took me out of the story, but the pace was pretty steady. Overall I thought this was a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Finally!! I'm finished with this series. This book was about 1/2 a step up from the other books. 

This whole concept was really interesting but I think the execution was lacking. Overall, this book was more interesting than the others. As you know, my biggest issue with the previous books was the love interests. It was also that it's all the author really focused on. I was just really annoyed. This book still focuses on the love interests but there's a lot more action going on too. 

I think that King had a hard time with the world building and it left me a little confused at times. I didn't quite understand everything she was trying to do with the magic. I feel like she took on a little too much. It may be why I just couldn't immerse myself into the actual story. 

The characters were not much better in this book. I still couldn't care for the alternating POV's, especially Devon. I don't know why but I just don't like him! I can't really "ship" he and Kalinda and it's why I just don't like him. 

The pacing was good with this one but I feel like this book was just not necessary. It almost felt like a different book entirely. There's a part that comes about with Kalinda and I was close to not finishing. There was nothing really that points to it in the previous books but then here it is. 

Overall, I thought this was a bit better than the last 3 books, pacing wise. There was a little more emphasis on the actual plot than the love stories. 

Thanks, to the publisher (Skyscape) and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

Let me start this review by being utterly honest in saying I wasn’t looking forward to The Warrior Queen after my request was approved. I was at first, though! I’d gotten all the Hundredth Queen books as ARCs through Netgalley and even though I didn’t really like the first book, I gave each new instalment a chance. That worked out really well with The Fire Queen (that’s the one I like best!) But not so much with The Rogue Queen (which was okay.) I wanted to give this final book in the series a fair chance as well. And I’m honestly glad I did.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the start of The Warrior Queen. Emily wrote a wonderful series and I’m obsessed with her writing style. It’s so quick and easy, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful! Another thing I like about the books in the series is how all sequels have some sort of a summary at the beginning, told by the narrators. I barely remember what happened previously in my favourite books, can you imagine how bad my memory is with these?

While I was often quite annoyed with the characters in the series, I did really like them in this one. I’m not sure why, I guess maybe because I was expecting it, that it wasn’t as bad? The reason I love Kali is that she’s a really strong female character with flaws. I also really like how she has a prosthetic in this book! Yay for disability rep! I’m not actually sure what I thought of Ashwin in the previous novels, but I definitely love him now. He’s far from perfect but he stands for what he believes in and isn’t just some dumb fool. As for the other characters: I’d loved to have seen more of them.

As for the plot… It fell a little flat as it started getting predictable and a little repetitive in some parts. The reason I haven’t mentioned Devon earlier is because there’s simply not much to talk about. Like I said, the book started great and then it just rolled downward faster and faster. Eventually, things became predictable. I started skimming around 75% because things got crazy. Like, how extra can it get?! So many unnecessary things started happening and the plot twists weren’t twisty enough to be “shocking” or even surprising. Which is really why it fell so flat in the first place. Also, things were so easy for the characters! They talk of struggle, but there isn’t much of it on the page. It went from “we struggle so much…” to “Ureka!” in the span of a single page and that didn’t work for me.

Overall, The Warrior Queen was a really enjoyable read. I’d hate to be all negative about it because I should’ve known beforehand my review would be like this. I’m glad I gave the book a chance and I’m sure fans of Emily and her series will love it. It’s a great finale! It just wasn’t for me.

The Warrior Queen was an average read for me. I wouldn’t say it was super bad, but it doesn’t come anywhere near close to my favourites. However, I’m sure fans of the series will love it, as it is a wonderful finale with a beautiful end.

I really, really wanted to love this book but I was forcing myself to read it and that's when you know something isn't quite right, the pacing was a lot slower than the previous books. I will probably come back to it in the future but for now I have to shelve it.

First off I'd like to point out that I normally read a book within a week, but this book I've been trying to read for about 6 weeks. I'm at 53% and although I do plan on finishing the book, at some point, I feel the need to step away and read something else.

So why is this book so difficult to get through? First off it starts extremely slow, it's not until about 40% in that something interesting actually starts happening. The majority of the time I read before bed and with this book I never got more than 15 pages in before falling asleep. Although it was great to fall asleep so quickly it did not boast well for this book.

I feel like the story itself went completely off course. I read (well actually listened to) the first 3 books a few months ago, in succession. I loved the first book but each one after felt like a step down from the one before it, this one following the same path it seems. It started out with Kalinda trying to save her people from a tyrant which led to a second tyrant and then it became less about her people (who still needed her) and more about her love interest.

I will finish this book eventually and possibly change my review at that time but for now it's just worth 2 stars in my opinion.

It's never a good thing when you are literally forcing yourself to read a book. I liked the first in this series well enough, and kept reading even with the multiple characterization and plot issues it had. As I started this Book 4, I couldn't even remember if I'd read Book 3 or not. That's how little of an impression it made on me. But I'm familiar with the characters and the world, so I figured I could end the series. But I only made it to about the 20% mark and had to give up. It was boring. I was bored reading it. This is a series that went on for too long. It probably should have stopped at Book 3, maybe even 2. This is a one for me since I couldn't finish it. I didn't even want to skip to the end to see how it turned out.

Well, that's finally over.

I'll begin with a positive. The cover is my favourite of the four. The colour, the fire dragon = perfect.

Everything else was not worth getting into. It pains me to say it, but this is a story, a series, that would have been better if written by someone else. What should be a vibrant and magical tale falls flat in world-building, characters, dialogue, and overall writing. It's funny, but every time I read one of these books on my kindle, I'm reading a hardcopy that parallels it, be it in world-building, myth or magic. The other book always wins. Here my mind drifted often, and I came back confused, not to mention I couldn't remember what had happened in the other 3 books or who half the characters were.

The pace was good, but for a trip to the underworld, this was quite dull. I couldn't care less about Ashwin or Deven's POV. But that said, I also didn't care for Kalinda's. She's a character that rubs me the wrong way with her righteous, overly modest attitude. Just another character that tries to come across as relatable all while touting on about how she is the only one who can do it so step aside, peasants. The romance between her and Deven throughout the series is hardly one I would ship, but just when it gets tolerable, King throws in some twist that just about made me DNF. The big battle was really just ... silly (there was a lot of eye-rolling and "Oh for f**k's sake" in the last half of the book). The ending was satisfying but completely unmemorable.

I hate writing reviews like this and I try very hard to keep from ripping it apart, but it's hard not to. This series started off well, then tumbled downhill with each one. It was unnecessarily drawn out and it would seem my fear that a book coming out every 6 months wouldn't give it the justice it deserves was well-founded. 2/5

~ARC provided by NetGalley~

I really wanted to love this book. I feel like this series could've ended with the last book. Yes it would have been unfortunate that Kalinda and Deven wouldn't have had their happy ending, but that happens. It felt like this book was forced and I honestly had to force myself through it unlike the other three. I see where she wanted to go but there was really no alluding to it in the other books that really brought it all together to make it all make sense in this book.

The Tarachand Empire is finally experiencing a time of peace and the Bhutas don’t have to practice their gifts in secret. Prince Ashwin is ready to become rajah, but Kalinda still thinks about what she had to give up to make all of this happen. Even though Deven must stay in the Void, he has lasted longer than most humans and is even able to visit Kalinda at night. Is there a way for Kalinda to save the man she loves? How long will the peace in the empire last?

The Warrior Queen is the fourth and final book in The Hundredth Queen series. Readers who have been following Kalinda through her various quests will find satisfaction in these pages. King has taken the opportunity to not only wrap up the various storylines but also delve deeper into the characters she has already created. The Warrior Queen is a satisfactory final book, but should only be read after finishing the first three books.

I received an ARC copy of The Warrior Queen by Emily R King from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kalinda is still reeling from her battle with the demon Kur. She lost a hand in the battle, and Deven has been taken into the underworld in The Void. As a mortal, his life must be saved or he will die an eternal death and will never be reborn. Kali would lose her chance to be with him forever.
Frantic to find a way, she delves deep into research. The only one to save a loved one from The Void was Inanaa, stolen on her wedding night, she journeyed through the 7 gates to save the man she had loved in every lifetime.

Kali finds she will need the help of a god to guide her though the seven gates, but Kali could mean more to him than she knows. Can she get to Deven in time? Ot will he be lost forever?
Can Ashwin overcome his father's dark legacy? Or will it continue to haunt his every move?

I have thoroughly enjoyed Kalinda's story from the first book The Hundredth Queen to the final tale of The Warrior Queen. Thank you for letting me follow along with her story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The first part of this book dragged a little for me, but made up for it at the end. I adore Deven. I do not know why the author does not get more recognition. These books were so good!

The most beautiful and emotional end to a series I have ever read. Emily R. King wields magic through her words.

SPOILER FREE

P L O T

Even hours after I finished reading this book all I could say was “WOW”. I’m like Howie Mandel from America’s Got Talent after that one performance and all he could say was “WOW”. All everyone in the audience could utter was “WOW”. WOW! What a book and what an ending!

Kalinda is looking for a way to get to Deven and free him, Deven is trying to get out of the Void because he’s running out of time, and Ashwin is trying to get his empire in order with a commander spreading lies about his decisions and the people refusing to accept the changes.

We visit Tinley’s place and witness the beauty of Paljor. She also has a role to play in this story. There’s also this one character that doesn’t seem to stay dead. Like dude! Could you just stay where you are?

This book is so emotional and I cried multiple times when I’m not fanning over Ashwin but there are times where I’m crying for Ashwin. (I ship myself with Ashwin and it is not up for debate.)

C H A R A C T E R S

Kalinda

We uncover more of Kalinda’s past because she doesn’t know her place in this world. She’s no longer a Rani even though people still treat her like one, and she doesn’t want to be a ruler and marry Prince Ashwin. My history teacher always told us to “learn from the past” and that’s what Kali’s adventure was about. And her past is nothing I’ve ever imagined.

Captain Deven Naik

In the beginning of the series I liked Deven, I shipped him so hard with Kalinda but I don’t know what changed. I guess Ashwin’s appearance did that. (Hahaha I really don’t know.) I wouldn’t want to be him getting stuck in the Void, it’s such an awful place! His journey is about survival and getting the hell out of the Void before his life is over.

Prince Ashwin

I’ve always been rooting for him. I don’t think I shipped him with Kalinda but I always liked him more than Deven. (Sorry not sorry Captain) There’s so much pressure on him and I just want to wrap him up in a fluffy sheet and hug him for all eternity.

I didn’t think he’d be the type to be so clueless about love. But stepping back and seeing the big picture, he grew up without a mother and Rajah Tarek gave him cuts in his back. So he didn’t really know what love is.

W R I T I N G

Written in three points of view shifting among Kalinda, Deven, and Ashwin. Each of them have their own journey to take and challenges to face. I can’t rank who’s path was hardest, we’re not put in a path that we can’t travel by. The level of difficulty always depends on our inner strength and each person has a different strength.

Love how it came to a full circle. We started in Tarachand, we end in Tarachand. Also Kali’s sketches from the very beginning makes sense now.

Everyone had closure, except for that one demon. I just couldn’t think of a better ending for our lovely characters’ story.

O V E R A L L

I can’t express how much I love this book and most of all the entire series. Emily R. King gave us a wonderful gift, as impossible as having powers may be the message is clear and the advice and wise words she leaves in her works are just as real. That’s one of the main things I love about this series.

Women raised to be warriors but now that the war is over and a different prince leads them to a better world these women don’t know what to do with themselves.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I want to see this made into a TV series or a movie. It’s so bad-ass, it’s full of heartfelt messages, has enough drama, thrills, and magic. Though this final book can be tricky with Kali having to talk inside her head (Read the book to get what I mean) but hey, if you’ve seen the movie adaptation of The Host by Stephanie Meyer, it worked well.

I’m hoping for a spin-off with one of the new couples in this book but most of all I cannot wait for the author’s upcoming series Evermore Chronicles coming soon.

I absolutely loved The Warrior Queen! It was so well written with plenty of action, romance, and intrigue. I was happy with the format of this book with the added chapters for Ashwin. I also liked how it started just a few weeks after the events of The Rogue Queen with Kalinda trying figure out how to save Deven from the under realm. We learn that he has been visiting her when he can and being in the under realm is draining him and he has no access to food. We also learn how the people are taking to bhutas being incorporated into society. A lot of changes are happening that the people of Vanhi are resisting. They want to uphold traditions and the way the former rajah did things even though Tarek's rule was brutal and horrific. Ashwin along with everyone else is dealing with that and the loss of Deven. 

I need to talk about characters now. Kali is still one of my favorite female characters. The way she is willing to sacrifice herself for the ones she love, Deven especially, was admirable. She did irritate me in this book because there was so much going on in Vahni that she was needed to help with but I understood that she could not just leave Deven to perish in under realm. She had to do what she could to save him. And then when she started learning some things from her past, I did not like how she tried to ignore that. It took her some time to realize that learning about her past was important for her present and future. When she finally embraced just who she was and the power she wielded, she became  a stronger character. I loved when she embraced who she was and realized that she was enough and could do so much.

Ashwin was a welcome point of view. I was so excited to see that he had chapters devoted to his point of view. I feel like he is the character that grew the most over the course of the books. From when we first meet him in The Fire Queen until this one, he really grew up and came into his own. Ashwin struggled to figure out how to be an effective ruler without falling back on the way his father ruled. In this one, he was trying so hard to do things differently than Tarek did that he sometimes did things the opposite just because even though it was the not right thing all the time. But by the end of the book, I think he started being truthful with himself and his feelings. I loved him and Gemi together. I was happy to see Ashwin get his happily ever after. 

Deven was stuck in the Void and slowly losing who he was but I could still see his strength and determination. For him to survive for as long as he did in the under realm, showed that. I liked being able to see his point of view still and see his ordeal while he was trapped. I was happy with how his story turned out. It was so perfect and fitting. He and Kali deserved to be together and deserved happiness. I have to say I found the fire-god to be a good character. He was kind and helped Kali a lot when he was guiding her through the Void. I also enjoyed seeing more of Netesa; the way she talked to Ashwin and dressed him was humorous. Yatin made a good captain of the guard. Brac was still one of my favorite characters and he evolved as well throughout the series. I also liked seeing Ashwin with his younger siblings, especially Shyla's daughter. The bhuta children, especially the burner children, were a welcome addition. The supporting cast was done very well in this book and added to the story. The bad guys were utterly awful. 

I am so happy with the conclusion of this series. Emily did an excellent job creating such a diverse world with some of my favorite characters. I was immersed in this book and had a hard time stopping every time I put it down. I highly recommend this book and the entire Hundredth Queen series to those who have not read it yet or considering it.  All the books are so well done and very entertaining with a lot of action and fighting and battles that show the good guys prevailing but not without some loss. I loved this book!

the hundred queens series is a favorite of mine. This is a great conclusion to the story of Kalinda and her fate. I can't wait to see more from Ms King